WESTMINSTER - The third annual “TRI-TO-WIN” SavageMan Triathlon Festival, the “world’s most savage and beautiful triathlon,” organized by, and benefiting, the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, will be staged at Deep Creek Lake State Park beginning at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 20. The inaugural and 2008 fundraising triathlons, presented by the Foundation’s “TRI-TO-WIN” Events, featured a very notable field of pro, elite and amateur triathletes from Sweden, Canada, Belgium, the U.S. Virgin Islands and numerous states throughout the U.S.
This year the event attracts athletes from 25 states, all four corners of the U.S., and from abroad as Sweden’s world-record holder on the bike at this race distance, Bjorn Andersson, returns to defend his title. Likewise, the U.S.’s only Olympic medalist ever in the sport of triathlon, Susan Williams (Athens 2004) from Boulder, Colo., also returns to defend her Savageman crown.
The “TRI-TO-WIN” SavageMan Triathlon has garnered much attention as arguably the world’s toughest and most “savage” triathlon at the long-course distance. Besides its signature event, the Festival features a SavageMan International-distance triathlon to complement race offerings and fundraising activity, comparable to the Olympic course distance, starting at 9:30 a.m. Triathlete magazine featured a notable quote in its August issue about the race, and the magazine plans to cover the race for a future issue.
The SavageMan’s “signature” features boast: a 1.2-mile swim in Maryland’s largest lake, at 2,000 feet in the Allegheny highlands; followed by the crown jewel bike stage featuring 5,700-foot vertical climbing and the most savage ascent in all of triathlon, the Westernport “Wall” and Big Savage Mountain summit over the Eastern Continental Divide. The race culminates in twice tackling the 6.5-mile loop course along the shores of Deep Creek Lake and undulating State Park Road and finally back to the exceedingly panoramic, lakeside finish.
Many triathletes now recognize the race’s famous vertical challenge, “The Westernport “Wall.” Although not particularly long at just four street blocks, the segment features an average grade of 25 percent and a maximum pitch of 31 percent. Successfully getting up the final block of the “Wall” takes a bit of skill, luck and a lot of ‘True Savage” determination! Only 46 athletes were able to conquer the “Wall” in 2007 and go on to finish the entire course; 114 in ’08.
All proceeds from the race benefit the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation’s efforts toward finding a cure for melanoma.
For more information on the race visit www.savagemantri.org. For more information about the foundation visit www.melanomaresource.org
Westernport, Md. —
